The Latest HTS News

List of 93 news stories.

After participating in the Rocky Hill Hackathon event in the fall, Tracy Z. in Grade 10 was feeling inspired to bring the same framework of learning to HTS. “As hackathons encourage critical thinking and problem-solving of current world issues and interdisciplinary thinking, I strongly believe that this learning aligns with HTS’ goals,” Tracy says.

Last weekend, our students stood out among teams of technical and data professionals from a wide variety of industries at the exciting Hack4ChildMentalHealth Hackathon. This gruelling three-day challenge, hosted by Blockchain Learning Group, provoked participants to develop creative and impactful solutions to solve issues around childhood mental health.

On April 6 and 7, the HTS Senior and Middle School Model United Nations (MUN) Delegation proudly represented HTS at the Ontario Model United Nations (OMUN) Conference, hosted by Upper Canada College. Seventeen delegates, including eight brave Middle School students, competed head-on with some passionate debaters from around the GTA.

We have many initiatives throughout our school that shine a spotlight on our collective responsibility to give back to the environment and teach us about the life systems that sustain us. Two of these initiatives are our honeybee colony habitat and our maple syrup program.

On March 4, our 11 Term 2 HTS teams and numerous athletes were recognized for their hard work and dedication to athletics at our Hawks Athletics Recognition Chapel (HARC), run by our athletic and wellness prefects, Meera Sayal and Anthony Argyropoulos. In previous years, all athletic awards were presented at the annual Athletics Banquet in May, however our community recognized the value of honouring our teams with the entire student body and parents.

We are proud to congratulate Anu Popoola, Grade 12 student, for being named a 2019 Loran Scholar. Of the 5,000+ applicants, Anu was one of the 35 students chosen based on her character, service and leadership. From volunteering at school and in her community, being passionate about the things that excite her, to initiating new projects, Anu truly exerts the meaning of a Loran Scholar.

From February 13 to 17, the HTS Model United Nations team travelled to Washington D.C. to participate in the North American Invitational Model United Nations Conference, one of the largest Model UN conferences in America. Our team members competed in topics ranging from corruption in China to future applications of artificial intelligence. The opportunity to debate and discuss solutions to real-world issues with students from around the world taught us the impact they can make and the value that different perspectives have in solving problems.

Students in the Grade 12 issues in human rights course travelled to the Canadian Human Rights Museum in Winnipeg, MB on November 8. The Canadian Human Rights Museum features a history of human rights from the times of Cyrus the Great to the present, highlighting contributions to the advancement of human rights.

During the school year, there are a number of days where our community supports a chosen charity – we call them sharing days. On these sharing days, students bring a toonie (or whatever they can afford) and may dress down in their home clothes. The funds raised by our students is donated to that day's charity. On November 16, our community participated in a sharing day supporting the Pikangikum Water Project.

“Imagine, being the parent of a child suffering with Malaria, a deadly disease which includes high fever and convulsions. You cannot bear to see them in that state, and desperately turn towards buying medications from the local market in hopes of curing them, and then imagine what it must be like to lose that child, because you were tricked into purchasing fake medications. This is the reality of 120,000 people who die every year in Africa as a result of fake malaria drugs, a dangerous symptom of the global Counterfeit Drug Industry plaguing our world.”

In her Grade 10 year, Melissa Suma began researching programs and opportunities that would further develop her interest of medicine. Through her research, she found Stanford University's School of Medicine Cardiothoracic Surgical Skills Summer Internship, a program designed to educate high school and pre-medical students considering careers in science, medicine and public health at Stanford University. The program seemed quite advanced, but Melissa took a risk and applied.

As we celebrate diversity and personalization in the classroom, the Spanish classes and visual art department joined forces to teach students about the Mexican celebration, Dia del Muertos (Day of the Dead).

It was no surprise when we heard that our chef, Matteo Mule, had won a prestigious award - one that is given to only 200 people of 1,500-2,000 nominated candidates from 19 countries. We are thrilled to congratulate Chef Matteo on being awarded the Aramark Ring of Stars 2018 International winner.

As Holy Trinity School started to grow in its number of students, the school recognized the need for a larger space. In 1983, the school purchased land on Bayview Avenue to construct their new site. It was recognized that this site would need considerable work to combat the naturally wet ground conditions, as it was located on the edge of the Oak Ridges Moraine. After zoning and planning approval from the Town of Richmond Hill, tree and brush clearing began in late 1984, and excavation and construction began in early 1985. The school officially opened its doors in September 1985.

From January through April, students in Kindergarten through Grade 12 were encouraged to enter the Sharing Day Challenge to share with the HTS community their engagement with a charity or organization.

On April 17, Grade 11 physics students participated in the Roller Coaster Exhibition. The students had worked for more than two months designing, constructing and testing their safe, but thrilling roller coasters. At the exhibition, they presented their roller coasters to sway the judges of the high quality of their products.

Wonderful students, fascinating countries, exquisite foods, rich cultures and inspiring sites! Twenty-two students and three faculty members embarked on a trip to Europe from March 8 to 18 where, with the help of our dedicated guide Colin Welsh from Explorica, we enjoyed so much of the incredible and diverse cultures of Spain, Switzerland and Italy.

How did Peter Pan get his name, where did he and Molly meet and why does he hate grown ups so much? All these questions, and many more, were answered in this year’s Senior School play production of Peter and the Starcatcher.

Holy Trinity School (HTS) is pleased to announce that it has been recognized as an Apple Distinguished School for 2017-2019 for its vision, leadership of innovation and integration of technology in education through exemplary teaching practices. With its Apple 1:1 Program, HTS has created a dynamic learning environment meeting the diverse needs of learners, while also engaging the community.

In 2012, the Board of Governors, along with the school’s leadership team, set out a vision for learning that was well ahead of its time. At HTS, we believe in a personalized, learner-centred approach. Our responsibility as educators is to plumb the individual needs, abilities, goals and interests of our students, in order to engage them fully in developing the skills, knowledge and disposition to achieve success in life.

What if I told you cats could fly? Or that two ships could crash right before your very eyes? Peter and the Starcatcher, this year’s Senior School production, will transport you to a magical world of Mermaids, Orphans, Mollusks and Pirates, where anything is possible.

Our school community could not escape the buzz of activity happening last week during our third annual Wellness Week. Over the past few months, a dedicated team of Wellness Leaders in the Lower, Middle and Senior Schools collaborated on ideas to bring health and well-being to the forefront of our school community. The Wellness Leaders had the opportunity to meet with Michael Eisen, from the Youth Wellness Network, to discuss wellness, and also explore their own personal wellness journeys. From there, the leaders worked together to create activities for Wellness Week that would allow their peers to benefit from their training.

Last week our U13 Boys Basketball team travelled all the way to ...Toronto to participate in the CAIS (National) Basketball Tournament hosted by The Sterling Hall School and Kingsway College School. This tournament is highlighted by the tradition of billeting. HTS was fortunate to have five families volunteer to host two or three boys from St. John’s-Ravenscourt School in Winnipeg, Manitoba, at their homes for three nights.

A few months ago, I set a goal for myself to learn how to sew, I wanted to make a dress for my fashion portfolio. When I bought the pattern for the dress, the saleswoman strongly questioned my purchase when I told her it was my first time sewing. I knew it would be a hard project, but I wanted to challenge myself and give it a try.

As a New Year’s resolution, the Senior School Eco-Team wanted to focus on waste reduction from an environmental perspective. To assist them in their process, they invited MASS Environmental Services Inc. to HTS last week to perform a waste audit.

The HTS art students were very busy this week, as the Arts Departments–Visual Arts, Music and Drama, and Media Arts–celebrated Arts Week. Workshops, led by various local artists, engaged the Senior School visual arts students in various media, from photography and cartooning to mixed media painting,felting and fashion design. The students created some impressive pieces while learning new ways to express themselves. Drama and Media Arts students were also treated to professional workshops, from scene study to directing and sword play, as well as filmmaking and directing for film.

Each month, the science team meets to share something that they’ve learned and are passionate about. They then showcase classroom implementation to the rest of the science team to help foster our “open door” belief that good learning fosters great teaching. Last week, Senior School science and physics teacher, Mrs. Nina Dolgovykh, presented a Grade 12 physics project that uses a car collision to teach about important principles of physics.

HTS’ Grade 8 students were recently asked to address the driving question, “what data would be most valuable to have for persuading HTS Food Services to include a new meal option on our menu?” Answers were bound to vary based on what students were to determine as relevant. Typically in this project, many students create surveys to gather results from the student body as to what is well-liked, and then represent their results in circle graphs. Our Grade 8 students used their resources to guide them to their final answer.

On November 24, the Junior and Senior Girls volleyball teams started their seasons at the annual Sir John A. Macdonald C.I. volleyball tournament featuring seven schools from the Toronto District and Catholic District School Boards.

On December 15, HTS was privileged to have one of our esteemed alum, former Head Prefect Melanie Mah ’08, speak with our students during Friday Chapel. Melanie was a student at HTS for six years and then attended Western University in Life Sciences. Melanie was an avid dancer all through her years at HTS, and balanced a competitive dance schedule in her first year of university. So when she earned herself a spot on the popular series So You Think You Can Dance Canada in 2009, Melanie was faced with the decision to stay in school or to see if she could make it as a dancer.

Congratulations to our Lower School Math Teachers for completing their Primary Junior Math Part 1 AQ course through York University. This has been a 2-year professional development project for teachers in which lessons, units, and theories have been studied and implemented in our classrooms in order to further enhance mathematics teaching of our young learners.

It has been a tradition at the monthly Student Guild planning meetings to start each meeting with an agenda item called “Turkeys and Trophies.” It is an opportunity for Senior School student leaders to celebrate the successful, and not so successful, student-led initiatives of the past month. Nominations are called for from around the table and students can either offer a “trophy” in praise of an event or activity that went well or some brave leaders will nominate themselves for a “turkey” (complete with a rubber chicken) - symbolic of something that “failed.” “Winners” are then asked to describe or reflect on what might have led to the success or demise of each venture with a view to teaching all what they might do or avoid doing in the future. It is a small, but very powerful teaching moment that can only be realized when a student might admit that things went wrong.

RICHMOND HILL, ON, Nov. 21, 2017 /CNW/ - Holy Trinity School (HTS) announced today that it will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, November 24 at 7:45 a.m. at 11300 Bayview Ave. to celebrate the grand opening of its expanded learning campus. The innovative new facility equips students with modern tools and complex skills to navigate the rapidly changing world. The mayor of Richmond Hill, Dave Barrow will be in attendance to commemorate the event.

Do you remember reading about cells in your science textbook or learning about the nucleus in a video shown in class? HTS students are using virtual reality to become fully immersed in a cell and seeing the nucleus!

Walking the halls of HTS during United Way week, a visitor to the school might wonder at the noise, the chaos, and the candy! But if they were to pause and look a little closer or listen a little longer, they would also see and hear some of the incredible ways that students can learn and grow when our community comes together for a common cause.

Last Wednesday, during a Day 3 PLUS period, 12 intrepid Grade 6 students met with Ms. Balfour and Mr. Darling in the new Lower School Seminar Room. They were there to meet as this year’s newly appointed Lower School RSVPeers. After talking about their upcoming trip to the DreamWinds Equestrian Centre and sharing stories about sitting with younger grades at lunch, they then got down to business. And what was their business of the day?

On October 4, nine Senior School students participated in the experiential learning opportunity of attending the Expo for Design, Innovation and Technology (EDIT). EDIT has partnered with the United Nations to deliver design solutions that reflect the United Nations Development Programme's (UNDP) Global Goals for Sustainable Development. Our students explored inspiring design, innovation and technology solutions to real-world programmes such as adequate housing, nutrition, healthcare and education for all.

Each month, the Science Department meets as a team to share learning they have been doing as teachers. This month, Senior School chemistry teacher, Ms Tara Irani, shared some of the learning she acquired over the summer at Hillfield Strathallan College. This fellow CAIS school hosted the Project Based Learning (PBL) Canada Institute in partnership with the Buck Institute for Education. Ms Irani was interested in learning more about how she might pair PBL with a personalized learning approach in the Senior School.

HTS has a long tradition of building leadership and service initiatives that ask students to lead in the service of others. Nowhere was this on greater display than the recent Grade 5-6 and 11-12 Breakaway trip to Camp Timberlane. As part of a growing focus on developing our students’ leadership skills by creating experiences that offer character building as a definite outcome, this year’s Breakaway offered all students the opportunity to move away from their busy lives and to spend an extended amount of time building important skillsets in the great outdoors.

The Grade 9 students travelled to the Canadian Ecology Centre this week on their Breakaway Trip. Located in Calvin, Ontario, and associated with Samuel de Champlain Park, this centre was our home for three days and two nights. The warm and sunny weather and crystal clear night skies provided a perfect playground for all the activities and adventures the students took part in.

“I’m not a typical teenager,” says Bijan Mirshahi, a Grade 12 student who listens to classical music and looks forward to spending his spare time volunteering at the Baycrest Health Sciences Centre in Toronto.

On April 6, seventeen students from Grades 9 - 12, accompanied by Mr. Dave Rehill, Head of Social Sciences and myself travelled to France to attend the official ceremony to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the battle of Vimy Ridge.

HTS is very proud of two of our Grade 11 students who have been accepted to attend the prestigious and highly-competitive SHAD program this July. SHAD is a Canadian program that selects exceptional high school students to attend a month long engineering and entrepreneurship program at one of 13 universities for a month.

Over the March break, 15 students, accompanied by Ms Popp and Mr. Csinos, were fortunate enough to be able to take part in the annual service trip with World Challenge which, this year, went to Thailand. To say it was an amazing experience would be an understatement. We were able to bond through new experiences, learn about the world away from home, and we learned a lot about ourselves. From managing our own money to figuring out where we would be eating and sleeping, we quickly learned all the responsibilities we would have to take on.

During the week of March 27, faculty had the opportunity to take part in professional development led by Sandra Herbst. Sandra has become a familiar face in our school community, especially to the faculty that she works so closely with. She is a leader in systems education and engaged with us specifically around differentiation and triangulation in assessment and evaluation.

An excerpt from the Fall 2016 Corridors Magazine.The answers to some long standing questions in education on how to teach students and what to teach them are rapidly-changing. What is changing the most however, is the role of teachers in leading their students in learning, the students’ ownership of their work and their appreciation of collaborative study.

From year to year, the words "that was the best show HTS has ever put on!" can be heard in the halls after a major production. Big Fish - The Broadway Musical - was no exception to this – in fact, it was the best performance yet.

In September 2016, our Head of School, Mr. Barry Hughes, informed the Board of Governors that he would be retiring and that this would be his final year as Head of School. Mr. Hughes joined HTS from the United Kingdom in 2010 to assume the leadership role he currently holds.

The month of February was filled with French culture as students showcased their projects, participated in a French language speaking competition and were able to practice their French language speaking skills in a café setting.

An excerpt from the Fall 2016 Corridors Magazine.The Middle School has caring and creative teachers who consistently go beyond expectations to provide an environment for learning and growing. Time for clubs, co-curricular initiatives and academic support is often limited in the school day, and running these activities during lunch hour is not ideal. As an organization, we asked: Is there a better way to allow students to experience an authentic “hidden curriculum” while honouring our fantastic academic program?

Clubs, committees, councils, houses and the Prefect leadership positions are all a big part of being a Senior School student. Not only do these positions play an important role in the current school year, but it has become more and more evident to the student leaders that their work should be kept as a legacy for the future leaders.

An excerpt from the Fall 2016 Corridors Magazine.Shaped by Experience is our covenant with the future. Through it, our purpose is to develop confident learners with the skills, wisdom and courage to seize the opportunities that lie ahead, as well as the agility to embrace the profound changes that will surely confront them. We are preparing our students to thrive and excel in a world that is yet to be known by creating diverse pathways to authentic, inspiring and indelible learning experiences.

Anyone who happened to look into the theatre last Friday would have witnessed over 150 Grade 6, 7, and 8 students all focused on solving the same question, “How might we develop a sustainable and consistent wellness initiative at HTS?” The room was buzzing as ideas flew around as students collaborated with each other. Simply put, it was magic. You might be wondering how that many students could stay so focused on one question for an entire day? The answer - Design Thinking.

Dr. Kate Greenway, Drama Department Head, and Mr. James Darling, English Department Head

An excerpt from the Fall 2016 Corridors Magazine.People often wonder what exactly it is that drama students do or learn. We think some of the points raised in the article “What Theatre Majors Learn: The Advantages Theatre Majors Have for All Jobs,” published in Dramatics magazine, are a good starting place and applicable to HTS drama both inside and outside the classroom.

The week of January 30 to February 3 was our second annual Wellness Week. The Wellness Leaders from the Lower, Middle and Senior Schools worked together to create activities and events that inspired our students to get fit, eat better and pay close attention to their own state of mind.

Over the past few months, our HTS Wellness Leaders have been working with Michael Eisen from the Youth Wellness Network in order to promote health and wellness across all divisions in our school. Students in the Lower, Middle and Senior Schools have been working together brainstorming creative ideas to promote healthy living and positive mental health.

As a math teacher for over 20 years, I have observed many shifts in mathematical teaching and learning. From time to time, concern has been expressed that “proper” math skills are not being taught, that current programs are simply too language-based, or that we need to go “back to basics.” I have made it my goal to better understand the way young students learn math and to incorporate this into teaching practices in the Lower School.

In a Fraser Institute paper entitled: Ontario’s Private Schools: Who Chooses Them and Why? the reasons given for why parents choose schools like ours were not surprising - a focus on learning and teaching, high expectations, an ordered environment, collegial collaboration between school and home, and strong leadership. While all of these are still important today, in recent years there has been a realization that globalization and technology are transforming the workplace for today's twentysomething’s, and that students are going to need more than the hard-won prize of a university degree to have a well-paid, fulfilling, and enjoyable career.

Unless you are heading off to the slopes or the beach, Christmas can be a time to hunker down and enjoy a quiet few days at home in front of a warming fire. Nevertheless, with weather like ours, “cabin fever” can set in and it has been good to be back at school this week. There has been a lot of positive energy amongst students and staff and we have all enjoyed reconnecting with each other and giving each other our best wishes for a great 2017.

On December 14, 2016, Member of Provincial Parliament and Ontario’s Minister of Research, Innovation and Science, Reza Moridi, visited HTS to congratulate Grade 12 student, Anmol Tukrel, for the development of iDentifi - an application that uses artificial intelligence to assist with object identification for the visually impaired.

On November 19, students from HTS volunteered their time to help with the annual Holy Trinity Church Christmas lunch. Nearly all of the students who will be travelling to Thailand together on the service trip next March Break participated in this team building experience.

Students, parents and friends came together for an evening of entertainment on November 3 for the annual HTS Coffee Cabaret.The evening was filled with music, dance and comedy, accompanied by warm drinks and sweet snacks.

One of the intake years at HTS is Grade 9, and with that means many new faces in the school. It is easy for all members of the school to become wrapped up in the daily, weekly, and monthly school activities, so I was pleased to sit down with Miranda Shen, a new Grade 9 student, to chat with her about her experience on the transition into life at HTS.

Over the past two weeks, I have been lucky enough to visit my colleagues' classes in the Science Department at HTS. I’ve seen general science, physics, biology, chemistry, and Grade 4 science all in action.

HTS Senior School student, Marc Sgro, has been asked to write a blog for the Future Design School. In his first post, Marc reflects on his workshop at FDS and what he'll research for his senior independent study this year: designing a solution to provide support for abandoned LGBTQ2+ youth. Here is Marc's post.